Читать книгу The Journey: How an obscure Byzantine Saint became our Santa Claus - David Price Williams - Страница 69

really like to know more, there are plenty of elders and teachers among our community who would be very willing to tell you about our whole way of existence. There’s probably no better place for it. And it’s so cosmopolitan you can really appreciate how its universal message embraces the whole world.”

The ship sailed on through the afternoon and I sat in the stern watching the wake bubble up below the transom. My mind was racing at the thought of seeing the magnificent city towards which we were sailing, all its fine buildings and its huge population and especially its Christian community. Polios had given me a small book to read about the life of Jesus. It was called ‘The Euangelion of Luke,’ what Polios had described as the gospel, the good news I suppose you’d translate it. It was an account of what happened over two hundred and fifty years ago. It was in Greek, not the best Greek I’d ever read, but its descriptions were vivid and the teachings very appealing. Jesus had preached his gospel, his good news, to everyone, not just the wealthy or to any specific class of the population, but to everyone, rich and poor, old and young, whole and infirmed.

He had gathered twelve followers around him to be his disciples, the ones who would carry his message to the world. They were not from any didactic group, nor were they philosophers used to the cut and thrust of debate. They were ordinary men - fishermen, country people, even a tax collector named Matthew. To them he gave the good news of hope and

DAVID PRICE WILLIAMS